This
Letter Sizing Chart is placed here for your convenience in helping
you determine the size of letters based on the distance they are to
be viewed. This is by no means an exact representation, there are many
factors involved and this chart only represents the averages. The
color of the lettering on different background colors, (see below) textures, letter styles,
weather conditions, amount and quality of light, a person's eyesight
and the speed at which you are driving past the signage can all
impact the readability.

Larger
letters doesn't always mean better legibility, the area around the
letters or what is known as the 'white space' must be sufficient to
allow the lettering to create a contrast with the background. Many
people make the mistake of placing lettering too close to the edge
of the sign background or crowding the 'useable' sign area on a
building. Placing letters too close together in order to fit
larger letters in a smaller space can drastically reduce the
legibility of the sign.

Tall slim letters are usually
less legible than shorter standard styles, so the 'height' of a
letter is not the main concern when creating readable copy on your
sign. Your professional sign artist can help you determine your needs.

An example from above: at the top of the chart shows that from as
far away as 100' you can "read" a 3" tall letter, this does not mean
that this is the best size choice for readability it
only means that under the best situations you could read
the letter. The center column shows that at 30' you get the best
readability for a 3" letter. A rule of thumb is a distance of 10
feet for each inch in letter height, you can test this by typing in a few words in
a computer program at different font styles, colors, sizes, and
printing them out and posting them on a wall, then stand back and
view them at different distances to see how all these variables come
into play in choosing the proper lettering for your sign. Trying to
save a few dollars by purchasing smaller letters is not a wise
decision, neither is trying to use too large letters in too small a
space, you may be wasting all your expense and efforts when the
sign cannot be read by the customers you are trying to attract.

COLOR CONTRAST/VISIBILTY CHART

Black/Yellow

Black/Yellow

Black/White

Black/White

Black/Orange

Black/Orange

Blue/White

Blue/White

Green/White

Green/White

Red/White

Red/White

Red/Yellow

Red/Yellow

Red/Black

Red/Black

Red/Orange

Red/Orange

Red/Blue

Red/Blue

Red/Green

Red/Green

This
Color Contrast/Visibilty Chart will help you in determining the
proper use of color combinations to achieve the greatest
readability. Signage that MUST be read from longer distances require
the use of more contrasting colors than for marketing materials that
will be viewed up close. Billboards need more contrast than magazine
ads, not only for letter size, shape and color but due to the fact
that stationery advertizements are affected by the readers response
time. You may only a have two or three seconds to view a billboard
and safely watch the traffic, while the magazine ad can be studied
at leisure and the less contrasting colors may appear more appealing
for close viewing.

Your local graphics professional
should be able to help you with creating the best color combinations
for the type advertizement you need. Please keep in mind that not
all graphic artists are trained in the best overall use of design
for all different types of work, some may create stunning magazine
ads but fail completely when trying to design a billboard and those
specializing in web design may not make the best decisions for
printed marketing materials.

There are many factors
that should be considered for the type graphics you need for your
project. If you are putting together a marketing campaign you would
be smart to hire a graphics firm that has a broad range of services
that can be coordinated into one project that covers all your needs.
It is unwise to hire out each aspect of the project to several
different companies, you will end up with too many variations that
could render your project useless as a marketing tool.

The colors from top to bottom show the descending contrasts of
colors in combination to each other. The top 6 rows are the better
choices of colors for good contrast, the next three rows show
less contrast and the last two rows would be very poor choices for
readability. These last two rows although considered bright and
vivid colors, their uses together should be limited to accents only.
Many unknowing and untrained amateurs will try to use these at the
customers request to create signage and end up with unprofessional
and unreadable results. The eye cannot focus on Red/Blue or
Red/Green when the colors touch and that is what makes them appear
to "sizzle" when used together. When using these last two color
combinations, the introduction of white or a very light yellow must
be used as a transition to create contrast and avoid the sizzle
effect as shown below.

Colors on computer monitors never match real world printed
colors due to the fact that it is two different technologies that
create the colors you see. Computer screens are made up of
phosphorous coatings on a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) and lit by an
electron beam or from Liquid Crystal Diodes (LCD) being turned on or
off by electrical charges, either way these are called transmissive
colorization because the colors are beamed from the monitor to your
eyes. Whether in a brightly lit room or a totally dark room you can
still see the colors on the monitor, whereas with printed colors
they appear best in a well lit room but cannot be seen in the dark
as there is no light to "reflect" them to your eyes. Printed colors
are made up of inks or paints printed onto surfaces that reflect the
colors from the page to your eyes. Transmissive colors appear more
vivid on screen than the same "true" colors do on paper, color
calibration of monitors is vital in getting a close approximation
but there is NO WAY the two technologies can provide exact color
matches across their spectrum. Do not use your computer monitor to
accurately choose colors for your marketing materials, always use
actual ink or paint color swatches available through sources such as
Pantone. For more information on color and the theories of its use
in various projects, do an internet search on the subject of "the
use of color"

This
letter readability chart is compiled with information based on the
California Institute of Technology. Readability distances will vary
with various color combinations and letter styles and stroke weight.
The maximum distances shown above are based on a standard weight,
block style letter, in RED or BLACK on a WHITE background.
Contact your local sign manufacturer for more information.The
color contrast chart is compiled from various sources and the
author's own personal experience of working with color for over 40
years.

This
Size Chart Provided By Elliott Sign & Design and GEMINI Inc.

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